Life, Death, and Bathroom Stops
by Kootie Bomb
Summary: Four young and talented demigods must travel across the country to save their fellow-half bloods from a certain doom, while an even greater evil lurks in the shadows. The best part? YOU get to come along for the ride! HIATUS
1. Submit a Demigod!

Hey, kids! Damn, it's been a while since I posted a story on this site...I nearly forget how to use it! Well, enough about that, you aren't here to read about my life. You're here to submit your very own demigod, aren't you? Very good, very good...

Here's the deal, guys. As that eye-catching summary read, this story's about my very own original character, **Stella Corleone** (props if you get the name), sent off on a country-wide quest to find fellow demigods and bring them to safety! Her company? The smashingly handsome son of Hephaestus, **Jake Mason**, and the ever-dashing main man himself, **Percy Jackson**! Also, one more demigod shall accompany them on this daring quest - who, you may ask? If I do get any submissions for this thing, I'll review the characters personally. The most well-developed, totally believable character shall be the **fourth demigod for the quest**, and will get a hefty amount of screen time. Such fun!

As Stella, Jake, Percy, and that lucky OC travel across the good ol' United States of America, they will meet up with familiar characters such as Annabeth Chase, Grover Underwood, Thalia Grace and the Huntresses of Artemis, The Stolls, Charles Beckendorf, Katie Gardner, Clarisse La Rue...the list goes on. And, of course, they will meet up with the very demigods that _you _submitted!

Now, the form is below. A few key points:  
>- Make sure you give enough information on appearance! Link me up to a photo if you have to, just be sure to give me <em>detail<em>.  
>-Personality is important to describe! I want to write your character as <em>you <em>imagined them. Tell me everything about your lovely character, I want to know everything!  
>-<strong>NO CHILDREN OF THE BIG THREE<strong>. C'mon, guys, that just fucks up canon. However, **all other gods' children are accepted**. There are a bunch of subsitutes for the Big Three, of course. Your goth child of Hades may not be accepted, but your goth child of Nyx or Thanatos will be! Your mermaid child of Poseidon may not be accepted, but your mermaid child of Ceto or Aegaeon (look him up, kiddies) will be!  
><strong>-Do your research<strong>. If you tell me your character has albino skin with hair as dark as the night sky, I'm done.  
>-You can submit up to <strong>three <strong>characters.  
>-You want your character to have a love intrest? Go for it! However, Jake Mason and Travis Stoll are both taken. I'm being greedy and giving them to two of my own characters. They're to hunkalicious to give up.<p>

**Demigod Form**  
>Name:<br>Nicknames:  
>Age:<br>Gender:  
>Nationality:<br>Birthday:  
><strong>-important- <strong>How will they react when Percy, Jake, and Stella tell them that they are a demigod?:  
>How will they react once they get to Camp? (scared, excited, ect.):<p>

Height:  
>Weight:<br>Eye Shape and Color:  
>Hair Style and Color:<br>Skin Tone and Complexion:  
>Body Build (curvy, athletic, lean, ect.):<br>Extra Physical Attributes (piercings, tattoos, beauty marks, scars, ect.)

Clothing Style:  
>Example of camp outfit:<br>Example of general outfit:  
>Example of formal outfit:<br>Example of pajamas:  
>Example of beach outfitswimwear:  
>Other Clothing:<p>

General Personality (gimme a lot of detail, here! Likes, dislikes, attitude, ect.)  
>Fears:<br>Friends:  
>Enemies:<br>Talents:  
>Hobbies:<br>Favorite Food and Drink:  
>Favorite SingerBand/Composer:  
>Favorite TV Show<br>Favorite Movie:  
>Favorite Book:<p>

Love Intrest (**specify and describe relationship**! Are they already dating? Do they fight a lot? Do they show a lot of affectionin public?):

Mother:  
>Father:<br>Step-Parent:  
>Siblings:<br>Closest Friends (Camp):  
>Closest Friends (Outside):<br>Boy/Girlfriend:  
>Past Relationships:<p>

Weapon:  
>Weapon Name (if it has one):<br>Fighting Style:  
>Fatal Flaw:<br>Strength(s):  
>Weakness(es):<br>Supernatural abilities (kids of Demeter can control plants, Percy can control water, ect.):

Background/Extra Information:

* * *

><p>Heh, I know it's kinda long. But it's for everyone's benefit! I really wanna use your character, but I can't if I don't have enough information.<br>So...GO. SUBMIT CHARACTERS. I WANT TO USE THEM ALL.

Love from,  
>KB<p> 


	2. Chapter 1

Hey! The following will be a prologue of some sorts, where Chiron will be giving the quest to Percy Jackson, Jake Mason, Stella Corleone, and that lucky original character I've chosen. This chapter will be narrated by the king of sarcasm himself, **Percy Jackson** (and it'll rotate through the chapters). More information on your characters, their evaluations, and who got accepted will be below. Hang tight, kids!

* * *

><p>"Crap! <em>Crap<em>! _Shit_!"

My mother would've hit me if she'd heard the language, but I was a bit busy trying not to be cut up into a bunch of little demigod pieces. Mark brought down his sword hard, the blade cutting the dirt where my head was about half a second ago. Note to self: never, under any circumstances, accept a battle challenge from a son of Ares. Ever.

It had started out as a slow day. I woke up late, meaning I had to scrounge for leftovers at breakfast. I was late to Ancient Greek, earning a punch in the arm from Annabeth. And then I had to clean out the stables, which is just gross in general, and then sword skills. Getting beat up by Mark, son of Ares. At least I can warm down with Greek Mythology after...

I scrambled back to my feet, adjusting my grip on Riptide. Around us, more pairs were battling, but none as intensely. Mark hardly gave me a chance to collect myself - with a ear-piercing battle cry, he charged forward, sword raised. Shit. My reflexes finally seemed to kick in for the first time that day, and at the last second, I flung Riptide over my head. Celestial bronze slammed into celestial bronze. My arm muscles were screaming as Mark pushed his sword against mine - this might have something to do that Mark's biceps are the size of my head, but that's just a guess.

"Percy! Hey, Percy!" Who...?

Whoever it was, they distracted Mark; I ducked away from his sword, flashed Riptide forward, knocking Mark's blade to the dust. He glared and opened his mouth, most likely to demand a rematch -

"_Jackson_! Are you deaf!"

A different voice, this time. I looked over Mark's shoulder to see a couple of familiar faces - Stella Corleone and Gloria Armstrong, together, as usual. Both of them were out of their orange Camp Half-Blood shirts; Gloria in a 'Trespassers Will Be Slapped!' t-shirt and overalls, with Stella in shorts and one of those off-the-shoulder deals that probably cost more than my mom's apartment. Typical for the both of them. Like most campers, they had probably used their free time to hit up the city (unless you were one of those campers who got attacked the moment you step out of the barriers).

They walked through the arena (dodging a few weapons in the process) and I caught Stella's expression - annoyed. Or, at least, more-so than usual. Something must've been up.

"Chiron want 'ta see you n' Stell," Gloria chirped, sipping at the super-size Big Gulp in her hands. I should've recognized her voice when she had called out to me before - it was a certain perky, yet Brooklyn-ish, twang in it.

"Why? Something happen with Luke or - "

"_No_," Stella interrupted stonily after shooing Mark away. Her Italian voice dripped with sarcasm, "We're all going to the _movies _and eat _candy_ and have a _jolly good fucking time_."

I blinked. Gloria coughed into her fist, "She's in a bad mood. Er, more bad than usual." Stella scoffed, turning away, as Gloria continued, "We were gonna go shopping when Chiron called us back. Stella minus shopping ain't good, buddy." At this, Stella whacked her best friend in the arm, storming off towards the big house. Clicking and pocketing Riptide, Gloria and I followed (though at a much slower pace),

"So, do you know what's up?" I asked Gloria, who was being uncharacteristically quiet. Usually, when you're around her, she'd be talking your ear off.

"Nah," She shook her head, taking another sip of her Big Gulp, "We were in Saks Fifth Avenue when we got man-handled by an Iris Message from Chiron in the dressing room. All he said was that he needed Stella, stat. When we got back here, Will - Will Solace, from Apollo's, I mean - asked if we knew where you were. So we went to get you before going to Chiron."

I nodded to her brief backstory, frowning to myself. The whole camp was still recovering from the attack from Luke's army coming out of the Labyrinth only a few weeks earlier. Some were still down and depressed about lost ones - the entire Apollo cabin was still mourned over Lee Fletcher. From what I heard, Mr. D's other son, Pollux, hadn't come out of his cabin since his twin brother, Castor, was killed. Whatever Chiron wants, it must be about Kronos or Luke (or Luke-Kronos, as it's become lately) - they were camp's top priorities.

"Ah, crap," Gloria muttered. In a moment, I could hear what she was talking about.

We both heard the yelling before seeing who it was - as the voices raised, we simultaneously groaned. I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck, "I guess Chiron wanted to see him too."

On the porch of the Big House, Stella was currently bickering _very _loudly with Jake Mason, one of Hephaestus's kids. Rugged, way more muscular than me, all that stuff Hephaestus children are known for. If my facts are straight, Jake was the one who brought Stella to Camp Half-Blood - and they haven't stopped arguing since. And with every argument, their tones just seem to get louder and louder.

"Why _would _I know why we got called up here, Motorhead! Quit being such a _dumbass _all the time!"

"I asked you a question!" Jake through his arms into the air, "You're just being friggin' moody!"

Gloria intercepted - a good thing, because I swear Stella was about to slug Jake in the face - with that giant smile of hers, hanging her arms around Stella's and Jake's shoulders, "C'moooon guys, no need to argue! It's probably some dummy quest. No big!" Stella huffed, stomping a foot. Drama queen.

"I'd rather go to Tartarus than go on a quest with _him_!"

A new voice suddenly joined in, "Well, then, I'm sorry Stella, dear..."

Nobody saw Chiron rolling through the door, wheelchair mode. He looked serious, stroking his beard and everything. I swallowed thickly - just as I thought. No good news. Chiron nodded to my left, "Thank you, Gloria, for bringing Stella and Percy. You are dismissed." She saluted, gave Stella a hug, and skipped down the steps of the Big House, heading towards the cabins. I turned back to Chiron, who was looking at each of us with calculating eyes, still beard-stroking, "Hm. Where is - ah, here she is."

And suddenly, from behind us, a new voice rang out, "Hey, guys! Man, am I the last one here?" Stella, Jake, and I all turned to look who the fourth person was - Charlotte Meyer (or Charlie, as most call her) hopped up the steps, smiling widely, waving. From what I know, she's a bit shy, yet I've never seen her not smiling. Stella noticeably snorted, turning away (which I found a bit strange, since Charlie and Stella's best friend, Gloria, have a bit in common), and Jake only nodded, not seeming to know her well. Chiron gave her a small smile, but his expression fell back to it's somber way as he addressed us all,

"Well, now that you're all here - follow me." He turned in his chair, heading back into the Big House. Stella shoved past Jake, and the rest of us followed. Each of us has been here before, but probably for different reasons - most likely for viewing the orientation film, for medical reasons, or maybe even being given a quest. I'd been here a few times for cabin meetings and, of course, visiting the Oracle. Chiron led us into the Rec Room, where most of the cabin meetings are held, and all of us sat around the large ping-pong table. Chiron rolled himself to the front of the table, clearing his throat,

"Well, I'm sure you've all been wondering why I've called you here - "

"You can say that again," Stella muttered under her breath from her seat on my right. Jake nudged her side.

" - and I'm sorry that I've pulled you away from your scheduled period, or your free time." He continued, "But this is very important. As you all may know, Kronos has fused himself with Luke Castellan's body." He paused, as if asking for a moment of silence. Before going bad, Luke was respected by everyone at Camp - whether it be for his sword-skills or his personality - and Chiron must've been proud. He coughed slightly, picking up again, "And he still seems to be rallying up stray demigods across the state, trying to get them to join Kronos' army. These demigods may or may not be exposed to their godly heritage - if they aren't, _they can be easily swayed_. We cannot let Kronos get an advantage on us, and we need to protect these demigods. Most likely, Kronos will just use them and then dispose of them." My mind immediately fled to Ethan Nakamura, the guy from the Labyrinth who I had _saved_, yet he ran off to Kronos and tried to _kill_ me. Great guy, if you couldn't tell.

I glanced around the table - nobody seemed to want to talk. Jake sat quietly, fiddling with the buckle on his tool-belt, Stella was fuming, and Charlotte looked deep in thought, though staring at Chiron in confusion. I asked the question that was on the tip of everyone's tongue, "So what are we here for?"

"If you haven't noticed, I've been deploying a fair amount of campers across the country, trying to protect these demigods." I had noticed. Annabeth left for camp without a word only a few days ago, "Many of the campers have found their targets. Others haven't. You four have two prime jobs - to find the campers I've sent out, and the demigods they've found, and bring them back safely. Your other job is to assist campers in finding their targets, if they haven't already." Chiron folded his hands, looking at all of us in turn, "I hope you're all up for it. If you're not, of course, I could just send for a replacement - "

"We'll be fine," Stella interrupted. She gave all of us a beady, menacing look, "_Right_, guys?"

"Right." Jake.

"Yeah, totally." Charlotte.

I nodded, "Definitely."

* * *

><p>We exited the Big House together, now manned with maps, a list of the campers we'd need to retrieve, and their respective checkpoints. And let me tell you - that list was <em>not <em>short. "There must be a camper in every state," I muttered, going over the list for a third time, looking for familiar names. I spotted a few at a glance - Annabeth, the Stoll brothers, Clarisse, and so on. Stella looked over my shoulder, frowning at the lengthy paper,

"_Merda_...how long d'you think this'll take?"

"Not sure." I glanced at her, "Why?"

"I scheduled a mani-pedi next week," She replied, pouting at her nails, "My cuticles are so not cute." I should've seen that coming.

We walked towards the cabins, "Meet by the gates in twenty minutes, with supplies." I said, talking to them all, "Chiron gave us a few checkpoints where we can replenish," I gestured to the map, "But be sure to travel heavy, just in case."

They nodded and dispersed to their respective cabins - Jake to Hephaestus, Stella and Charlotte to Hermes. I looked down at the map once more before heading to the Poseidon cabin to pack.

* * *

><p><em>to be continued...<br>_

* * *

><p>trololol, well, that was shorter than I wanted it to be. But, keep in mind, there isn't a lot of action going on until these four get on the road. Now, what you've all been waiting for, the current status on your original character that you've sent to me.<br>First, I just wanna say WOW. I never thought I'd get so many applications! Thank you so much!  
>And now a few notes (and this is important, so read it); When I say the 'status' of your OC, I mean if they will already be a camper, or if they will be just recently found. That is all up to me, thank you very much. Both get the same amount of screening time, so you don't have to worry about that.<p>

-**Sophia Willow** (_MorganGrimm_): I like her! Nice, well-rounded, all that jazz. Maybe PM me a paragraph to explore her personality a bit? Like, the basics - perky or lazy, gloomy or hyper, stuff like that. But she's accepted either way. She'll already be a camper.  
>-<strong>Dhanielle Tablang <strong>(_bookwormgirl2497_): Filipino sistah aww yeaah. And she likes Green Day? DOUBLE AWESOME. Same with Sophia - PM me a paragraph with a bit more on personality. Like, traits and characteristics. She's accepted, and will be 'found' (aka, not yet a camper).  
>-<strong>Jack Wolf<strong> (_Lord Jupitar_): Well, I am a bit confused. How is his favorite book 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians', if, y'know, this takes place IN that book series. Not accepted, sorry. PM me with a non-self insert, and we'll see, I guess. Sorry, he'd seem like a cool character if it wasn't so self-insert-y D:  
>-<strong>Rose Arcos <strong>(_ZenithFourDemigods_): Fuck yeah, another Green Day fan. Sorry, just had to say that. I like Rose, she's well-balanced and a great character! She's accepted, and will be 'found'.  
>-<strong>Andrew Jefferson<strong> (_Elmethea_): Excellent character! Could you message me with some more traits and characteristics though? That'd be groovy. And oh my god, 'O Brother, Where Art Thou' is the best movie ever just saying. Accepted! He'll already be a camper.  
>-<strong>Marciana Bouchard<strong> (_night-faery22_): I've already told you how much I love Marcie, right? So, yeah. Accepted. Will be 'found'.  
>-<strong>Ginellys Cordova<strong> (_Doomed-Orange-Parka_): Oooh, you already know I adore Jean. Accepted, will be 'found'.  
>-<strong>Veronica Hicks<strong> (_Maerad-of-Pellinor28_): Accepted, but could you message me with a bit more detail on her personality (traits, and such)? Will already be a camper.  
>-<strong>Desirée La Roux <strong>(_GodHatesBaguettes_): Amen for filling out the form correctly! It's beautiful! Des is accepted, and will be 'found'.  
>-<strong>Charlotte Meyer <strong>(_Sun E. Day_): Of course, she's accepted, and the fourth demigod going on this little adventure. Feel special! Lovely character, really.  
>-<strong>Darcy Ann Nuostabus<strong> (_DestinedForGreatness_): Oooh, I love children of Hecate! Darcy's accepted, and will already be a camper.  
>-<strong>Felix Deuce<strong> (_BooksAreTubular_): Felix is so cute! I love him! Accepted, and will be 'found'.  
>-<strong>Perella Stone<strong> (_Horse Crazy Bookworm_): First off, lemme just say I LOVE her name. And she's accepted! She'll already be a camper.  
>-<strong>Alyssa May Vander<strong> (_Alytimae_): I like her, she's very fleshed out and all that jazz. Accepted, and will be 'found'.  
>-<strong>Caitlin Turner<strong> (_Teenage Dream 123_): A great character, very cool. I'm a bit on edge on accepting Titan children, but I guess I can make one exception. Accepted, will be 'found'.  
>-<strong>Angela Sonova<strong> and **Nathan Dimitri **(_Artemisgreekhero101_): Both of them are great! I can totally see Stella and Angela getting at each other's throats xD Accepted, and will be 'found'.

So, obviously, the majority of OCs were accepted. So, y'know, awesome C:  
>My main goal is to write your OCs as if they were my own characters, so if you have any extra, important details to tell me, just shoot me a message, k? And I guess I can accept a few more OCs, so if you have another, go ahead.<p>

There isn't much else to explain...okay, well, there sort of is, but it'll all be resolved in the next chapter, which will most likely be narrated by **Stella** or **Jake**.

...yeah, bye.


	3. Chapter 2

Helllooo. I've been really holding out on you guys, haven't I? Sorry, sorry...between vacations and family issues, I haven't gotten much of a chance to write anything _decent_. So...yeah. My bad. Won't happen again. Actually, with school starting, I'll probably get _more _chances to write this story rather than the other way around, since I'll have a lot more access to a computer. Anyway, this chapter is narrated by my own original character, **Stella Corleone**. Since you don't know much about her, here's a brief summary: She's a dirty rich teenage girl who hates being a demigod. Very snobby and rude, with the superiority complex of a small country. The apocalypse doesn't start until she fucking says so.

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>"This must've cost Chiron a fortune..."<p>

I glanced at Percy, who was holding the thick envelope of bus tickets in his hands. Scrunching my nose up a bit, I retrieved my nail file from my pocket, beginning to shape up my left pinkie - I had chipped it yesterday after another attempt at swordplay. Another fail, as usual. "I hate buses. They're so gross."

"It's not like it's a city bus," Percy glanced over his shoulder at me, "Those are the worst. The Greyhounds are pretty decent, though, they've got...air-conditioning and stuff."

"Doubt you've ever been on a city bus," Jake shot at me, raising his eyebrows. Ass. I stayed quiet at that remark, though - mostly because he was right. I've never been on a city bus, despite living in New York City for most of my life. I've never been on a Greyhound, either, or a taxi. Hell, I've never even been on a public airplane - Daddy's got at least three private jets. And then another private jet that I'm not even allowed to go on. I've taken the subway once or twice and it was basically the worst experience of my life. So, I wasn't really looking forward to a cross-country road-trip in a Greyhound, especially with Percy Jackson, Jake Mason, and Charlotte Meyer.

"He probably has some friends at the Greyhound or something," Charlotte mused absently, busy looking around Port Authority - the bus station in Manhattan. Honestly, I've never seen so many hobos in my life. Clutching my purse - Prada, mind you - closer to me, I looked impatiently at the clock on the wall opposite from us. 12:32pm. Gods, how much more longer?

"It was your idea to get here so early. Stop asking that," Jake replied tiredly - did I say that out loud? - taking a seat on the floor in exhaustion. I sneered, but Percy and Charlotte followed in suit (Charlotte, at least, had the decency to sit on her suitcase rather than the disgusting floor). Jake raised an eyebrow at me, "Don't be such a snob. I know you're tired too, we've been waiting here for an hour."

"Shove it, Mason. I'm gonna go find something to eat - "

"I'm pretty sure they don't have five-star restaurants in Port Authority - "

"I said shove it, Motorhead!" I snapped at him, pointing my nail file threateningly. I turned to Percy and Charlotte, who looked mildly disturbed at the little spat between Jake and I (they should get used to it, honestly). Safely tucking my purse into my suitcase after retrieving my wallet, I asked, "You guys want anything? I'm already gonna get a can of oil for the Grease Monkey over here."

Percy and Charlotte both declined, but Char got to her feet, offering to go with me. I can't say I wasn't at least a bit surprised - we'd never been close at Camp. We never really even liked each other at Camp. She's got her social group, I've got mine. They only way I know her is through Gloria...and Gloria likes to think she's friends with everybody she meets, so that doesn't really count. We're both in the Hermes cabin, but she's a child of Iris - I'm a daughter of Eris, and my mother doesn't have a cabin yet. Yet. I'm willing to fucking pay Chiron to build a cabin for Eris (and a cabin for Eros, Gloria's dad, because she complains sometimes too). I can't help it that the Hermes cabin is stuffy and gross. I have high standards for living conditions, okay? But Chiron just says more cabins for the minor gods would just interrupt the balance of things. Bull_shit_.

Charlotte's a sweet girl, I guess. Sometimes, she reminds me of Gloria, my best friend, because Charlotte's always smiling and optimistic and everything (however, she's not as annoyingly _loud_ as Gloria, thankfully - I probably wouldn't be able to survive this trip if she was). I first noticed her because of her accent - a British one, and I later learned it was from living in the UK for so long, before moving to the US. She says she doesn't even notice it, and I can relate - people tell me I've got an intense Italian accent, but I can't hear it. Then I noticed her because of her eyes - one is green, one is blue. I always just assumed she had blue eyes, since her side fringe covered her green eye, and I sort of did a double take when I caught a glimpse of her green eye. At the time (we were at Camp and she tied her hair back from the heat), she apparently noticed and started to get all flustered - I'm guessing she has that side fringe for a reason.

We also share a similar dislike for the Aphrodite cabin. So, I guess Charlotte's okay.

"Cinnabon?" She spoke up, pointing to the cinnamon bun chain, tucked between a McDonalds and a Starbucks. I glanced around the rest of the shops - Wendy's, Cold Stone Creamery, other similar fast food shops lining the street outside of the bus station.

I bit my lip, "I'm dieting."

"Stella...whenever I hear people talk about you at Camp, you've apparently been on a diet for the past, like, three years." Charlotte quirked a small grin. I paused. Okay, well, that's the truth.

I cast her a sidelong glance, "...people talk about me?"

Char froze, "Uh, nevermind...", and mumbled something about meeting me back here and hurried off to Cinnabon. I rolled my eyes and walked across the street, entering the Starbucks. What a weirdo.

I quickly forgot about her as my stomach rumbled, and I picked out a chocolate biscotti from one of the pastry racks, lining up for the cash register. There were only about four people in front of me - what I really noticed was the cashier. A real big, hulking guy who looked absolutely ridiculous in the green Starbucks smock and visor. He was in serious need of a dental plan, and a haircut. Scars went up and down his arms, and I noticed an almost fresh going up from his jaw, disappearing into his mop of hair. A smiley-face band-aid barely covered it. A similarly humongous man was by the coffee stations, clumsily setting up the drinks.

I approached the counter almost tentatively, thoroughly creeped out by these guys. Squaring my shoulders, I spoke in my best 'don't mess with me' voice, "A biscotti and two tall coffees, one black, one decaf." I figured I should get Jake something. Starbucks coffee and motor oil - same thing. He called the order over his shoulder to the man handling the coffees, and punched the numbers into the cash register - it creaked under the force of his hands,

"$7.00."

Seven bucks? What a rip-off. Of course, that's nothing to me, but still. I pulled a ten dollar bill out of my wallet, handing it cover. And, as he took it, his huge fingers brushed against mine - he nearly froze. After a brief moment, he moved his fingers further up my arm, getting ready to grip me -

"Hey!" I shoved away from him, "Watch it, creep!" And, a moment after that, I added, "My father's gonna hear about this!" And that was the truth. Despite how big the cashier was, Daddy could crush the creep under his little finger. I stormed out, completely forgetting about the coffees, already scheming up a way to have Daddy get the guy fired, maybe even put that Starbucks out of business -

BOOM

Fuck.

The blast blew me forward, slamming me into the pavement. I could feel the skin on the arm I landed on rip.

I looked up, my vision blurry, to see chaos. Rubble and window glass everywhere, several people injured and trapped under pieces of the of the used-to-be-Starbucks. And in the giant gap in the Starbucks stood the creep from the cash register - and his friend. My eyes widened. Why the fuck hadn't I seen it before? _How_ could I have not seen it before? I'm such an _idiot._

Cyclopes.

One of them threw their head back, letting out a large roar, and I could see the one eye, eerily placed in the middle of his forehead.

"Stella!"

I turned my head to see Charlotte racing towards me - a Cinnabon bag in one hand, and a rainbow chain in the other. Until it turned into a bow (the chain, not the cinnamon bun), and a case of arrows materialzed on her back. Despite the circumstances, I blinked in alight awe. Trippy. She apparently saw the Cyclopes too, and immediately let off a volley of arrows at them, leaping over rubble and fallen mortals. I grimaced, thinking of my twin revolver guns tucked away in my bag, inside the bus station. I was fucking _helpless_.

"Go get Jake and Percy!" Charlotte yelled over the pained roars of the Cyclopes as she fired a few more arrows, hitting their soft points - I realized she was aiming for their eyes, respectively. She slid in front of me, setting an arrow at the ready to see if the Cyclopses would recover, "I'll take care of these two!"

I grimanced, struggling to my feet, "No. I can't leave you here." She sent me a surprised look, and I probably would have too. Normally, I would've run. I added quickly, "You'd die and I'd be stuck with Percy and Motorhead back there. That'd fucking _suck_."

"You're hurt, Stella, just go get the boys - GET DOWN!" She cut herself off as the Cyclopes began to fire huge pieces of rubble at us, shoving us both over and out of the way. She finished her sentence quickly as we ducked behind a smashed car, "I can't fight off two Cyclopes by myself, we need Jake and Percy, and you need a proper weapon."

I looked around our surroundings. Most civilians had made a total break for it, screaming about terrorist attacks and such. Police sirens sounded in the distance, "We need to get out of here."  
>"What?" Charlotte uncharacteristically snapped, "You mean run away?"<br>"Look, we can't fight in such an urban area. We'll be on the 5 o'clock news if we don't scram. People can get killed if we don't."  
>Charlotte considered my words carefully, but she seemed to make up her mind pretty quickly as the Cyclopses roared (it vaguely sounded like "demigod food", to me), knocking over street lamps and entire trucks, barreling towards the car we hid behind, "Alright, we'll get out of here. You run into the station to get the boys and our stuff. I'll hold back Moe and Curly 'till I can make a clean escape." She left no room for argument as she reached into her quiver, pulling out a thin gold arrow, and firing it at the monsters. It must've been specially made, one of those sonic arrows I've been told about, because as soon as it hit one of the Cyclopses, there was a huge explosion.<br>I didn't stick around to ask about it - I ran for the bus station.

On my mad dash to the elevator, I noticed that the building was emptying out fast, and I was pushing my way through a current of people running for the exits. Suddenly, I slammed head-on into none other than Percy himself, with Jake right behind them. Both of them held all of our bags - I immediately went for mine, digging around, finally retrieving my twin revolvers; they're the kind of guns you see in old Western movies, and they really pack a fuckin' punch, if I do say so myself.

"What's going on - "

"Starbucks, two Cyclopses, Charlotte's in trouble," I snapped, closing up my bag and heaving it onto my back. It'd slow me down a bit, but we didn't have much of a choice, "We're gonna get her and _book it_."

Percy nodded, that magic pen of his already at hand. I could see Jake pulling a sword hilt out of one of the bags. We ran for the exits like everyone else in the building - but unlike them, we headed for the fight scene, rather than away. Charlotte's quiver was already emptying - she was down to her last two arrows. One of the Cyclopes - Moe, as I mentally dubbed him - had apparently seen us. He let out a roar, picking up an entire fucking car, flinging it at us. We leapt to the side, and Percy ducked under it, running towards the one-eyed asshole head on, his pen going into sword-mode.

Jake ran towards the Cyclopes I called Curly, twin samurai-esque swords at hand, to assist Charlotte (who was now out of arrows, and was on Curly's back, whacking his head with her bow). I knew Jake had brought a bloody plethora of weapons, finding ways to conceal them all on his person - they'd be fine. Moe - the cashier who had creeped on me - was the one we had to worry about. He was bigger, and thus stronger.

I fired two warning shoots - into his head.

He staggered, letting out a roar, but shockingly, it didn't stop him. You'd think two celestial bronze bullets in your head -

Wait.

I popped open the cylinder, unloading the silver bullets. Silver.

"Fuck!"

What a fucking bonehead mistake. Regular bullets do hurt monsters, but they don't reduce them to dust, like my custom celestial bronze bullets. Fuck, fuck,_ fuck my life_.

I looked up - Percy was fairing, but I knew he wouldn't last long, even if he was the best swordsman at Camp. Reloading my revolvers, I darted forward, dodging a few flying pieces of rubble, before firing another round of shots. The bullets would slow ol' Moe down, and Percy would bring in the finishing strike. It seemed like a perfect plan - but, of course, the universe just loves proving me wrong. Percy's sword was knocked at least fifty yards into the air, and the huge cyclopes started running towards me.

I started to back up as he neared. Forty feet away...thirty...twenty...I tried firing off a few more shots. He managed to dodge one of them, and got two lodged in his arm. It had him staggering for a moment, but still advanced towards me, grabbing a streetlamp and wielding it like a lance. Goddamnit.

Ten feet away. Shit. His thundering footsteps had the ground shaking, reducing me to my knees. Shielding my head, I braced myself for the worst.

The worst that never came. Nothing. I opened my eyes to see Percy on the back of the cyclopes, his bronze sword lodged right in the beast's skull. Shakily, I raised an arm, aiming carefully. The circular target right in the middle of Moe's head.

_bam_

His eyeball exploded upon impact, and it was too much for the cyclopes to take - he disintegrated. All that was left was a pile of golden dust. Percy toppled through the air, and I staggered forward to try and stand to catch him, but a sharp pain in my right arm stopped me. With the adrenaline wearing off, I could feel the intensity of my injuries - the worst on my right arm, when I fell on it from the explosion of Starbucks. A large, bleeding gash took up most of my forearm, with small, but still deep, cuts lining up the rest of my arm. I felt a strong pair of arms go around my waist, helping me to my feet. I looked over my shoulder at Jake, who had a large, bleeding cut going down his jawline - I didn't have the heart to shove him off.

His eyes, however, didn't show pain or fear - they were serious.

"We have to get out of here."

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><p><em>to be continued...<em>

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><p>Ugh what a fatty chapter. I trimmed a bit off the bottom that will be in the next chapter, which I promise will be up as soon as I can!<br>Stella is _such _a bitch. I'm truly sorry if she's mean/rude/a total asshole to your characters. I should take her to conseling.  
>Next chapter will be narrated by our favorite mechanic, <strong>Jake Mason<strong>, as seen in such books as _The Last Olympian _and _The Lost Hero_. Also, a TON of OCs will be introduced/mentioned! Because I'm pretty sure that's the only reason you're reading this. Whoo!  
>Anyway, PM me with any ideassuggestions, as I'm open to them all.  
>Also, I have this obsession with drawing other people's OCs, so they might just appear in my deviantart's gallery (link on my page) some time soon.<p>

Cheers!


	4. Chapter 3

Yo! Filler chapter aww yeah. This chapter is narrated by the hunkalicious mechanic, **Jake Mason**. As we don't really see a lot of him in the books, I sort of made up my own personality for him, but really did try to stick it to the man (aka, Riordan). Most of what Jake does is argue with Stella, so...yeah. Enjoy!

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><p>"This is fucking<em> gross<em>."

None of us were healers. It probably would've been a better idea to bring an Apollo kid, or something - luckily, Charlotte had been smart enough to pack a first-aid kit. After our run-in with the Cyclopes, we ran about ten, fifteen blocks or so - I lost count after the fifth. I grew up in Queens before full-timing at Camp Half-Blood; unlike Percy and Stella, I wasn't used to the long Manhattan blocks _at all_. By the time we finally stopped, I was completely out of breath.

We ducked into a back alley of McDonald's (we had to coax Stella, of course), using a back entrance and swerving into the public men's bathroom before anyone could see four severely injured teenagers in a fast food joint.

Stella and Charlotte looked around uncomfortably - as one would expect from a McDonald's bathroom, it was damp, rusty, and, as Stella said, gross. I wasn't complaining, though - I was used to gross. You should see the forges at Camp. Doubt they've been cleaned out in years. Not even the cleaning harpies attempt at it.

"If they're any rats in here, I'm going to scream," Charlotte said flatly, her eyes sweeping across the filthy tiled floor.

We sat our luggage down, an awkward silence filling the air.

"Hey, Motorhead, you're starting to bleed again," Stella stared at the long cut going down my jaw. I cought my reflection in one of the cracked mirrors above the row of sinks - she was right. She slapped my hand away before I could try touching it, "You're gonna need stitches, that's fucking nasty." A pause. She glanced over her shoulder, "Who knows how to stitch?"

Charlotte spoke up, retrieving a white box from one of the bags, "I'll do it. Can't be much different from sewing, right?" Not that I'd particularly pin Charlotte Meyer as a sewing person. She popped open the kit, retrieving a medical needle and thread. Now, you gotta understand that a first-aid kit for a demigod is w_ay _more detailed than a first-aid kit for mortals. A demigod first-aid is basically a hospital in a box.

I looked over at Percy, who sat against one of the walls, head in his hands, not even looking at the rest of us. Poor guy. All of us felt pretty crappy, though - not even a day into the quest, and we already got our asses kicked by a couple of Cyclopes that seemed to come out of no where. Then again, Stella didn't exactly have time to explain where the Cyclopes had came from...

Charlotte instructed me to sit on one of the bags. She began to clean out my cut, which stung like a bitch, but I've been hurt worse back at Camp. To keep my mind off the sting, I watched Stella stand in front of one of the mirror (cleaning the mirror, first). She began to wipe off the grime, mud, blood, and ruined make-up from her face, treating her cuts carefully.

"Hold still, Jake," Charlotte murmured, dabbing at my cut with a numbing wipe - almost immediately, the lower left side of my jaw went dull, "This'll sting for a second, and it'll feel really weird, but don't move and it'll be okay." I exhaled slowly, and winced as the needle was inserted. And she was right - every time she weaved the skin together, it felt like I should be in pain, but it just felt strange.

We must've looked pretty lame to anyone who could've been watching. Running away from a fight, licking our wounds.

"D'you think we should go back to Camp?"

I stared at Percy. He stared back at all of us, looking uneasy. As far as I knew, he'd only been questing with people he was familiar with - like Annabeth from the Athena cabin, that satyr Grover, so on. He probably didn't ask much questions with them. If I could've shook my head, I would've, but before I could voice my opinion, Stella did for me,

"No." She snapped firmly, "That'd be fucking pathetic." Does she have to curse every sentance? "We're goddamn _demigods_, Jackson, we don't need to go crying to Chiron every time we get our butts kick." I guess she does. "We aren't going back." There was a bit of a silence before anyone spoke up again. I don't think anybody really wanted to - Stella looked pretty freakin' intimidating, with the running make-up and all. Something out of a horror movie, nearly.

Percy seemed to get a grip - he smiled at her, "Fine with me." Stella almost smiled back, before returning to cleaning her face in the mirror. He retrieved one of the maps from his bags, tossing it my way, "We'll take the Lincoln tunnel to Jersey, that's where the closest demigod is. Some girl named Rose Arcos in Atlantic City."

"My uncle owns a casino up there," Stella interrupted absently, running a pocketcomb through her hair.

"After we rescue her, we head up to Trenton to meet up with the Hunters of Artemis." He finished. I've never really had a conversation with a Huntress, but from their visits to Camp, they're kind of jerks.

I opened the map while Charlotte finished up my stitches, cutting the thread. She raked back her side fringe, and I managed to catch a glimpse of that green eye she's always hiding - the other one is blue. It's kind of creepy. But after living in Camp Half-Blood, I got used to campers and their weird appearances.

I raised an eyebrow as Stella re-applied her make-up. Typical.

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><p>As we expected, any Greyhounds leaving Port Authority Bus Station were cancelled. So we settled for the next best thing - a taxi. Of course, we already figured it'd cost us big money, but Stella just said (and I quote) "I'll pay for it, assholes."<p>

Percy, now sporting several bandages and a Big Mac in hand, hailed down a cab once we exited McDonalds. Stella climbed into the front as Charlotte, Percy, and me squeezed in the back seat. She instructed the driver, "Atlantic City, please."

"It'll cost you extra, goin' outta state and all," The cabbie warned, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at four teenagers traveling alone.

"Do you even know who I am?" Stella snapped impatiently, showing the driver her ID. The woman took one look at the Corleone family crest and nodded quickly, booking it towards the West Side.

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><p><em>to be continued...<em>

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><p>Short chapter, slow update, no new OCs...I know, I know. Don't be <em>that <em>mad, jeez.

Of course, it's my decision on when I want to update or not, but I do take your guys' opinion in to consideration. So, I've have a question: **Slow updates and long chapters**, or **fast updates and short chapters**? Leave which one you prefer in a review.

Next chapter will probably be in the point of view of **Rose Arcos**. Whoo! 


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